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Tsipras gets sinking feeling after Castro trip

Anthee Carassava, Athens

December 2 2016, 12:01am, The Times

Alexis Tsipras ratings in the polls slipped at the same time as there was an outcry over his attending the funeral of Fidel Castro, where he met the Cuban leader’s brother and successor, Raúl Castro, leftPedro Pardo/Getty Images

Alexis Tsipras, the left-wing Greek prime minister once adored for his promise to tear up loan agreements and scrap austerity, is the country’s least popular leader in recent history, according to an opinion poll published yesterday. The survey, conducted by the Athens-based Public Issue polling company, showed that his popularity has plummeted to 24 per cent — 20 points behind his conservative rival.

The poll of a nationwide sample of 1,005 voters found that nine in ten Greeks were disgruntled with Mr Tsipras’s government. It coincided with an outcry over his decision to attend the funeral of Fidel Castro, an event snubbed by most western leaders.

Makarios Lazaridis, a member of the conservative New Democracy party, said that “skipping town” while key negotiations were taking…